Project Report Girl Students Proof of Concept

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PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT  


 

Educate Girls 500 schools project in the Pali district


January 2010

 
Reliable Business Centre, Off New Link Road, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053
T: +91 (22) 26303555 E: info@educategirls.in W: http://www.educategirls.in
(A project of FEGG)
 

CONTENTS

1. Introduction 3

2. Education Scenario in India 5

3. Educate Girls Partnership in Rajasthan Education Initiative 9

4. Educate Girls 500 schools project- Background & Context 10

5. Project Objectives and Intervention Strategies 12

6. Project Outcomes 15

7. Lessons Learned & Recommendations 35

8. Conclusion 36

Annexure 1: Out-of-School Girls data for 500 schools area ................................. 37


Annexure 2: Enrollment and Attendance in Educate Girls program schools 39
Annexure 3: Community Mobilization and WSDPs ................................................ 41
Annexure 4: List of Creative Programs .................................................................... 44
Annexure 5: Life Skills Evaluation Checklist ............................................................. 45
Annexure 6: Impact of Life Skills............................................................................... 48
Annexure 7: Girl Friendly Schools ............................................................................ 54
Annexure 8: Case Studies and Success Stories ..................................................... 56
Annexure 9: Management Costs of Schools ......................................................... 62

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1 Introduction

‘Many governments and NGOs want to mobilize communities to help with


education. Educate Girls has found one way that works. At a cost of 1% of
government’s budget, it helps government schools reach nearly all children
and dramatically improve learning.’

Barbara Herz, Author “What works in Girl Education”, Former head


of World Bank’s Women in Development Division

Educate Girls (EG) is a non-profit organization based in Mumbai and founded in 2007.
We work toward improving girls’ enrollment, retention and academic performance in
government schools by leveraging existing community and government resources.

Educate Girls is transforming the school system by engaging girl leaders, their
communities and the government. The key success factors have been leveraging the
power of existing village committees, meetings and “Bal Sabhas”. This approach is
scalable nationwide.

The Government of Rajasthan has asked EG to scale up and extend the model to
every government school in the district during the next phase, beginning March 2010,
which demonstrates the effectiveness of our model.

Girls are often counted as some of the hardest to reach children. They face numerous
barriers in their efforts to acquire formal education. These barriers have been
grouped into nine major categories1:

 1                                                                                                              
Review of Research Literature on Girls Education in Nepal, prepared for UNESCO Bangkok by Dr. Min Bahadur
Bista for the Regional GENIA Meeting: Linking Research Findings and Policy-Making, 20-22 September 2004,
Seoul, Korea.

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• Social and cultural barriers


• Economic barriers
• Psychological barriers
• Institutional barriers
• Barriers caused by poor teaching-learning conditions in schools
• Barriers caused by family circumstances
• Geographic barriers
• Mental and physical barriers
• Barriers caused by armed conflict

As Co-Partner of the Rajasthan Education Initiative (REI), Educate Girls has reached out
to 70,000 children (including 37,000 girls), their families and communities in over 200
villages in three blocks of the Pali District in Rajasthan through various program
interventions.

During the project period in these 500 schools of the Pali district in Rajasthan, Educate
Girls has contributed to 99% girls’ enrollment, higher attendance and improvement in
learning levels.

2 Education in India

Across India, particularly in rural societies, girls are not always educated and many
have minimal understanding of their own rights. The national average shows that
there are twice as many uneducated women as there are men across India.

India has some of the worst gender disparity issues in the world. It is estimated that
girls average less than four years of education in a lifetime and 40% leave school
before they reach the fifth grade. With around seven million girls out of school in
India, the situation for girls’ education is dismal.

This state of education stems from an array of interrelated factors that reduce access
to, and retention in, schools. Rural communities are often completely unaware of the
benefit or even concept of educating girls. For every 100 rural girls, only one reaches
the 12th grade. With only 55% of schools in India having girls’ toilets and only 42% of
teachers being female, enrolling marginalized girls poses an immense challenge

Rajasthan has 9 of the 26 most backward districts in India. The gender gap
in these districts is so immense that the females are lagging behind their
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male counterparts in all spheres of life. The Pali District has around 10%
gender gap at primary school level and an alarmingly high 25% gender
gap at upper primary school level.

This situation stems from low-quality education, shortage of teachers, poverty, limiting
attitudes towards gender roles and a lack of support from parents and the
community.

Educate Girls has systematically challenged and addressed these structural, cultural
and socio-economic barriers through strong program interventions and strategies
that work in partnership with parents, communities, teachers and the government. EG
programs have empowered girls by providing them access to quality education and
development opportunities.

Educate Girls uses the following strategies in order to achieve its mission:

• Emphasizing strong parental and community participation as the key to getting


girls back into school.

• Improving the quality of education by reforming schools to focus on creative life


and work skills, away from rote memorization.

• Involving parents in the education process, and creating a political constituency to


support and sustain the reform of primary and secondary schools.

The Educate Girls’ mission has emerged from the organization’s strong conviction that
when women are educated, a transformation begins. Education and active
participation in schools enables women to become central agents of social change,
changing the future for their children.

Women who have attended school are 50% more likely to immunize their
children. Around 40% of global progress in reducing malnutrition over the
last 25years is attributed to gains in female schooling2 .

 2                                                                                                              
World Bank: Engendering Development, 2002

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Importance of Education

Educating girls has a multitude of positive effects for the wider community, as well as
the individual woman. Extensive research by the UN and the World Bank shows that
when girls are educated:

• Birth rates fall and each four years of schooling reduces family size
by one.

• Family health improves and child mortality falls; educated mothers


are 40% more likely to immunize their children.

• Literacy accelerates in future generations as educated mothers are


five times more likely to educate their children.

• Regions stabilize as violence and extremism declines.

• Both Family and national income grow by 10% for each additional
year of schooling.

There are girl children in many communities who are not easily reachable and thus
remain excluded from the benefits of education. This is especially true in tribal
regions.

Educate Girls has implemented a program strategy in three blocks of the


Pali District in collaboration with the government and local communities to
ensure that all girls have access to quality education and self-development
opportunities.

Educate Girls programs have provided opportunities for girls in the region to see and
discuss more than their own village or culture, thus enabling them to imagine, dream
and utilize the available resources.

It is well researched that educating a girl has a ripple effect, impacting health,
population control, next generation school enrollment and the potential to earn.
Education enables girls to reason, make informed decisions and most importantly,
live healthy, productive lives.

The state harnessed innovation and community participation to usher in educational


changes. The now internationally acknowledged Lok Jumbish and Shiksha Karmi
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Projects mobilized the community on a large scale to bring about qualitative changes
in education in rural areas.

The DFID-assisted Shiksha Karmi Project channeled the energies of educated youth in
remote rural areas and utilized their talents to bring the children to schools.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyala (KGBV) and National Programme for Education of
Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) continue to be central schemes for enhancing
educational opportunities for girls at primary and upper primary levels. Under

NPEGEL, blocks with female literacy rate below 46.13% and gender gap higher than
22.5% have been identified as Educationally Backward Blocks.

Through EG’s work, schools in Rajasthan have higher girl attendance, more girl’s
toilets, female teachers and nutritious mid-day meals. Educate Girls’ project
interventions in three blocks of the Pali District contributed to 99% girls’ enrollment,
higher attendance and improvement in learning levels in the 500 schools.

A steady rise in the literacy rate but persistent gender gap

The rise in male literacy levels in Rajasthan to above the national average and the
doubling of female literacy in the last decade speaks to the concerted efforts made in
recent times for educational development in the state.

Though the Constitution of India grants equality to both the sexes and does not
discriminate on the basis of sex, the reality is different. The progress in the two sexes
has been at a varying pace in the field of education with the females lagging behind
their male counterparts.

Education for girls is a crucial matter in Rajasthan. Rajasthan is known to have


adverse figures of girl student enrollment and retention in schools.

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Literacy Rate in Rajasthan


Yea Female Literacy
Male Literacy % Net rise in decade Net rise in decade
r %
1951 14.44 3
1961 28.08 13.64 7 4
1971 33.87 5.79 10.01 2.91
1981 44.76 10.89 13.99 3.98
1991 54.99 10.23 20.44 6.45
200
76.46 19.86 44.34 23.9
1
Source : Based on Census Reports

Pratham’s ASER Report, 2009 captures the status and improvement in out-of-school
girls in the state of Rajasthan from 2006 to 2009.

The following observations can be made on the basis of available statistics:


(i) Boys outnumber girls at both the primary and upper primary level. In other
words the gender gap appears to be a chronic problem reflecting the gender
bias of parents in enrollment of their children;
(ii) The gender gap is more pronounced at the upper primary level as compared
to the primary level;
(iii) Although improvement is visible in the enrollment figures of the girls (as a
result of the efforts made by the Government), vigorous and sustained efforts
are still needed to bridge the wide gap; and,
(iv) The sharp decline in the number of girls at the upper primary level is a matter
of concern.

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3 Educate Girls’ Partnership with the


Rajasthan Education Initiative (REI)

Ensuring “Education for All” has become a global priority as a fundamental human
right that enhances individual freedom as well as provides significant benefit to
society as a whole. The global community agreed to devote two of the Millennium
Development Goals to education, to ensure that all children complete a full course of
primary schooling, and to eliminate gender disparity at all levels of education.

The Rajasthan Education Initiative (REI), launched in year 2005, is one of the
innovative initiatives of education in the country. Under the overarching vision of the
Millennium Development Goals, and the specific thrust of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(Education for All), the REI was conceived to harness the potential of multi-stakeholder
partnerships for education. Over a period of time, REI has shown the potential to
transform public education and bring about a long-term positive impact on the
development of human resources in the State of Rajasthan.

Briefly, REI serves as an umbrella under which innovative multi-stakeholder


partnerships are catalyzed by engaging the global and local private sector,
foundations, charitable organizations and other grassroots level NGOs in support of
Rajasthan’s education objectives. Partners from the private sector have brought
resources, including technology, training, knowledge and expertise, to meet the
specific needs of students, teachers and schools. At the same time, REI has engaged
with NGOs and foundations to mobilize, sensitize and involve the communities in
educational processes, strategies and outcomes. REI articulated its role to support
and complement the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) actions and strategies in the State.

REI realized that innovative and successful strategies and practices are to be scaled
up from pilot initiatives, and rolled out across the state in order to have a significant
impact on the education system. Only a few partnerships could scale up their
activities. Educate Girls was one of them.

Educate Girls launched its Girl Child Education pilot project in Rajasthan in October
2005 under the umbrella of REI. Educate Girls signed a MoU with Government of
Rajasthan on September 24th, 2005, to develop and test a replicable model for
improving girls’ education in 25 government schools in the districts of Jalore and Pali.

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On completion of the pilot project in December 2007, EG scaled up the project to 500
schools in the Sumerpur, Bali and Rani Blocks of the Pali District of Rajasthan. The Pali
District has around a 10% gender gap at the primary school level. However, the
situation is alarming at the upper primary school level. The district has more than a
25% of gender gap in education.

4 Background of the 500 Schools Project

Pali is one of the most prominent districts lagging behind other districts in Rajasthan
in terms of girls’ education. As per the 1991 Census, the total literacy of the district was
almost 55%. While female literacy stood at 36.7%, male literacy was at 73%.

Pali has 10 development blocks. Educate Girls was allocated three blocks in the Pali
District (Bali, Rani and Sumerpur). The project area is a part of the Marwar region. The
Bali block has a difficult hilly terrain and remote areas that are difficult to access.

The population in the three blocks consists of people from various castes. The caste
distribution of population is approximately OBC (40%), SC (32%), ST (15%) and General
(13%). The Bali block has a sizeable tribal population, mainly the Dewasis. The upper
castes, like Rajputs, dominate the socio, economic, and political eco-system of the
area.

The main occupation of the population in this project area is rain-fed agriculture. Soil
is unfertile and there is often a shortage of water. Over 60% of them are cultivators
and agricultural laborers. Many of them are engaged in milk production and sheep
rearing.

Because the project area is drought prone and a large section is a tribal population,
many, especially the Dewasis, migrate from the region on the onset of summer. They
migrate with their entire families and cattle for 6-8 months and travel up to the Malwa
region in Madhya Pradesh. Traditionally, a large section of population from Marwar
migrates to other parts of the country and returns only on occasions of family
celebration. The migration makes it impossible to retain these children in schools. The
children drop out when their families migrate.

The region is full of male-dominated communities, which accord low status to


women, who often face early marriages. Educating girls is not valued and considered

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irrelevant by many community males. Many times, girls’ education is seen to conflict
with accepted gender roles in the local community and hence resisted. Even if girls go
to school, they would be withdrawn during or after primary schooling due to social
and cultural reasons.

The total literacy rate in the Pali District as per 2001 Census is 61%. The female literacy
rate for the Pali District was 44%, compared with a 76% male literacy rate. The gender
bias also finds reflection in the schools.

Pali district is one of the districts of Rajasthan with the highest gender disparity. The
gender gap in schools for the age group 6 – 14 years was 12.67% as per 2006-
2007 DISE data. As per the DISE 2006, the gender gap in EG’s project areas of Bali,
Sumerpur and Rani Blocks in the Pali District is shown in the table below:

Gender gap

6-11 yrs 11-14 yrs 6-14 yrs

Place SC ST All SC ST All SC ST All

Pali 9.36 16.31 7.91 26.97 46.57 25.15 13.82 22.66 12.67

Rani 4.35 17.68 7.33 12.8 52.84 23.93 6.88 26.85 12.61

Bali 5.42 19.54 9.24 15.35 45.07 20.37 8.39 24.69 12.45

Sumerpur 7.12 9.38 7.61 22.93 39.24 15.69 11.66 16.51 10.18

As per the MoU, Educate Girls was allotted the following number of schools (Primary
and Upper Primary) per block:

# Name of Block Number of Schools

1 Bali 284

2 Sumerpore 143

3 Rani 73

Total 500

These 500 schools are spread over 200 villages in three blocks and four
municipalities (Falna, Rani, Takhatgarh and Sumerpur). Out of 500 schools, there are
323 upper primary schools and the remaining 177 are primary schools. In addition,
Educate Girls is intervening in three Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in
three blocks.

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5 Objectives & Intervention Strategies

Educate Girls is working in the state of Rajasthan in India under the Rajasthan
Education Initiative, co-sponsored by the Government of Rajasthan and the World
Economic Forum. Educate Girls launched its Girl Child Education pilot project in
Rajasthan in October of 2005 under the umbrella of Rajasthan Education Initiative.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2005 with the Government of


Rajasthan, to develop and test a sustainable, scalable model for improving girls’
education.

The pilot project started in 25 government schools in Jalore and Pali. In December
2007, EG scaled the project to 500 schools and 70,000 children in Sumerpur, Bali and
Rani in the Pali District.

Educate Girls is currently working with 2,342 schools in the entire district, covering
over 125,000 girls.

As per the MoU signed between the Government of Rajasthan and Educate Girls, the
project had the following objectives.

• Enhance enrollment and retention of girls through individual


tracking, community mobilization and quality improvement

• Reduce the gender disparity in schools and project areas and


improve the level of life skills and competency of girl children

• Address the various critical needs of girls

• Improve the learning skills and academic performance of students

• Ensure increased participation of children, families and communities


in plans and actions for holistic education

In order to achieve the project objectives, Educate Girls adopted various intervention
strategies. Staff members conducted door-to-door surveys in all the villages in the
500 schools area to identify the out-of-school girls, employed Creative Learning and

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Teaching (CLT) techniques for the teachers and organized Bal Sabhas (children’s
parliament) for the girls.

Educate Girls achieved its project objectives through the following intervention
strategies:

School Information Campaign (SIC)

Under the School Information Campaign (SIC), Educate Girls collected vital information
to establish reliable data as a baseline for the schools. Information including school
infrastructure, student-teacher ratio, attendance, etc. was collected to identify the
‘critical needs’ of the schools.

Community Mobilization, Gram Shiksha Sabhas (GSS), SMCs and


School Improvement Plans (SIP)

Educate Girls projects mobilize community members to ensure that communities are
involved and participate in enrolling girls who are not in school. Gram Shiksha
Sabhas (GSSs) organized in tandem with the School Development and Management
Committees (SDMCs) result in the preparation of quality improvement plans or Whole
School Development Plans (WSDP). The plans cover issues of infrastructure and
quality improvement in schools.

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Bal Sabhas and Life Skills for girl children

Educate Girls helped form Bal Sabhas in all 500 schools. The formation of the
democratically elected Bal Sabhas stimulated girls’ participation in matters related to
their growth and development so as to build confidence, leadership and self-esteem.
Educate Girls imparted ten skills to 6,500 Bal Sabha members. The girls are thus
equipped with life skills through participation in the Bal Sabha.

There are ten life skills as identified by WHO

• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Decision making
• Communication
• Self awareness
• Creative thinking
• Interpersonal relationships
• Coping with stress
• Coping with emotions
• Empathy

Creative Learning and Teaching (CLT) techniques

EG trained the DIET master trainers, 12 KGBV teachers and 324 schoolteachers in
Creative Learning and Teaching (CLT) techniques. After the training, EG provided
technical guidance and classroom handholding support to teachers to implement the
CLT in selected schools. The feedback from teachers was that CLT helped them in
explaining the concepts to their students, who not only enjoyed the classroom
process more, but learned at a faster pace.
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6 Project Outcomes
Educate Girls adopted a project management approach that is intended to plan for
and achieve the desired project results (outputs, outcomes and impact). Outputs are
short-term changes (products and services, knowledge and skills), which result from
the completion of a number of activities within a development intervention. Outcomes
mean longer-term changes (institutional and behavioral), which result from the
achievement of a number of outputs. Impacts are long-term changes (changes in the
lives of people) produced by the combination of a number of outcomes. It is often
seen that impacts take longer (5-10 years) to become visible, often taking longer than
the project period. Therefore it may not be easy to measure them effectively.

Educate Girls carried out the baseline and endline surveys covering 500 schools in
three blocks under project intervention in March 2008 and December 2009,
respectively. To get a better and deeper understanding of the impact of EG program
in the 500 schools, the results were compared with a control group in the same area.

A sample of 30 program schools and 30 non-program schools, randomly


selected by the Government, were tracked on monthly basis for enrollment,
girls’ attendance, ‘girl friendliness’ of the schools and community
participation and involvement. This helped Educate Girls understand what
needed to be changed (course corrections) in order to ensure that the
project goes as planned.

EG’s activities have been focused on reducing female dropout rates, increasing
retention and enrollment of students and enhancing scholastic performance.

The following sections capture the results and outcomes of the EG project in the
intervention areas. A critique of performance in the 30 program schools and 30 non-
program schools is also presented for a better understanding of the results and
impact.

99% girl enrollment in Educate Girls project area

Educate Girls carried out the door-to-door household survey in the villages covered
under the project as part of the School Information Campaign (SIC) at the beginning of
the project. The number of out-of-school girls from the total population of girls
(32,640) from the ages of 6-14 years, in the catchment areas of the 500 schools (200
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villages) was found to be 3,839 (11%). EG validated the baseline data through SMC
meetings in each village.

The data was submitted to government officials along with a plan to mainstream
those girls, who included both never enrolled and dropouts. Educate Girls got 3,560
out-of-school girls enrolled or re-enrolled in schools during the project period. Girls
were enrolled in schools even in most remote and tribal areas (Annexure 1). Only 1%
of girls (279) remained out of school as per the end-line survey in December 2009.

# out of school girls % out of school girls


March, 2008 3,839 11%

April, 2009 2,205 6.30%

December, 2009 279 1%

Since 99% girl enrollment has been observed in one of the most difficult areas, with
the highest percentage of hard to reach children, EG has clearly shown the success,
effectiveness and replicability of its program strategies and interventions.
Communities have not only been mobilized, sensitized and encouraged to send their
girls to the schools, but are also actively participating in school activities. There is a
distinct and visible shift in the perception and behavior of parents and community
members.

Girls Enrollment in 500


Schools Area
%  of  girls  enrolled  

Sept.'09  
Sept.'08  
Sept.'07  

Blocks  

The Educate Girls project interventions in three blocks of the Pali district contributed to
an increase in the enrollment of girls in the schools. The DISE statistics reveal an
increase of 11% in girl enrollment. Individually, Bali, Rani and Sumerpur have
registered an increase of 16%, 15% and 4% respectively in the number of girls

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enrolled in schools over the project period. Interestingly, the Pali District registered an
increase of only 2% in the number of girls enrolled in school from September 2007 to
September 2008 as per the DISE data (Annexure 1).

Increased girl enrollment in Educate Girls program schools compared with


control group of non-program schools

More girls were enrolled in program schools than in non-program schools. Educate
Girls achieved this result through effective community mobilization and motivation of
parents and girls in each village.

The following figure shows the status of girls enrolled in program and non-program
schools at different points of time. While there was a 5% dip in the number of girls
enrolled in non-program schools over the period, program schools showed
consistent positive results in retaining the girls in schools (Annexure 2).

Total  Girls  Enrollment  


No.  of  girls  enrolled  in  schools  

Total  Girls'  
Enrollment  
Program  Schools  
(Based  on  data  
collected  till  Dec  
2009)  

Time  

Girl enrollment increased from 90% to 99%

Sharp decline in number of out-of-school girls in Educate Girls


project area
 
As shown in the following figure, the endline data collected demonstrate a sharp
decline (93%) in out-of-school girls in all three blocks. While Bali witnessed a decline
(92%) in number of out-of-school girls from 2,107 in March 2008 to 176 in December
2009, the number decreased from 695 to 46 (93%) in the Rani block during this
period. In Sumerpur, the number of out-of-school children came down to 57 (95%) in

  17  
 
December 2009 from 1,037 in March 2008. All blocks together, there was a decrease
of 93% (Annexure 1).

Only 279 girls remained out of school as per the endline survey in December of 2009.

o Out of 279 girls, Educate Girls identified 168 girls, who could appear at the
Open Board examination. Unfortunately, SSA could provide only 35
application forms, resulting in the remaining 135 girls being deprived from
appearing at the examination and joining mainstream education.

o Educate Girls identified another 70 girls to attend bridge courses before


mainstreaming them in regular schooling. However, SSA could not organize
any bridge camp courses during the year.

o SSA also failed to organize Shiksha Mitra Kendra (Classes) in Jogi Basti, Falna
for the 44 identified out-of-school girls due to internal problems . An additional
13 out-of-school girls who migrated from Jogi Basti, Sumerpur and 17 girls
from the Devasi and Meena communities, who migrated from Hawai Patti
Falna, could not join Shiksha Mitra Kendra and remained out of school. Thus,
279 (135+70+44+13+17) identified out-of-school girls could not join
mainstream education due to unfortunate circumstances.

3,839 out-of-school girls – only 279 remaining

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Community Mobilization, Gram Shiksha Sabhas and SIPs in Educate


Girls program area

Community mobilization is the first and foremost strategy of the Educate Girls model
to promote girls education. A community’s participation in educational planning,
strategies and outcomes is the key to ensure sustainability and community ownership
of the change process. The community is involved in a discussion about the issues
faced by their children. With EG’s support, community members have worked
towards improvement of those issues. The contributions from individual donors
(Bhamashahs) and the community increased significantly. The contributions came
both in cash and kind (Annexure 3).

One of the first steps toward community involvement is the formation of village
forums called Gram Shiksha Sabha (GSS). These meetings are organized to sensitize
communities on the issues of girls’ education and to help the process of community
interaction with the schools towards strengthening the process of education. Natural
leaders in the community have played a significant role in GSS meetings and the
success of EG’s campaign for bringing girls back to schools. The main issues
discussed in the GSS meetings were the enrollment of dropout and never enrolled
girls in formal schools and the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), or bridge
courses. Apart from this, EG also focused on developing a girl friendly environment
and infrastructure in schools.

At the output level, 1,722 Gram Shiksha Sabhas were organized in tandem with the
School Management Committees (SMCs) in all villages. GSS meetings resulted in the
preparation of 2,906 School Improvement Plans (SIPs).

Overall, 2,268 SIPs were completed as per the endline survey in December 2009
against the baseline figure of 331 in March 2008, registering a phenomenal increase
of 585%.

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The action plans focused on the following issues according to needs of the schools:

o Toilets
o Drinking water facilities
o Computer sets
o Electricity
o Tree plantation in the school compound
o Kitchen shed for cooking of mid-day meals
o Silverware for mid-day meals
o Enrollment of never enrolled and dropout girls into Bridge Course Camps
o More teachers for single teacher schools
o Boundary walls

A comparative analysis of baseline and endline statistics of 500 schools shows a


significant outcome in the improvement of infrastructure facilities due to the
completion of School Improvement Plans and contributions from the community
(Annexure 3).

Improved facilities have rendered these schools more girl-friendly. Even the number
of teachers (both male and female) increased in 500 schools during project period
after SIPs were submitted by GSS/SMCs to the government for filling up the vacancies.
The total number of creative programs for girls also demonstrated improvement as
per the baseline and endline data available.

Infrastructural  Facilities  in  500  schools  


No.  of  Schools  

Baseline  March  2008  


Endline  Dec  2009  

Facilities  

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The increased interest and participation of the community, SMC members and
parents with support from Educate Girls ensured that schools and teachers were
more sensitized and attentive to the needs of girls. A change in teachers’ attitude and
commitment was witnessed at the outcome level. The schools organized an
increasing number of creative programs for the girls. This included cultural events,
sports, quizzes and other activities, which boosted the confidence and spirit of
teamwork among the girls (Annexure 4). An increase of 168% was registered in the
number of creative programs for girls at the output level from March 2008 to
December 2009.

“CLT has helped us in explaining the subjects, concepts in a better way.


Children work in groups, help each other and learn from peers. There is
greater team spirit and confidence in children”

Mrs. Leela Panwar (HM) and Mahendra Singh (teacher), who attended CLT training,
Govt. Girls UPS, Barawa, Bali

“Educate  Girls  reached  to  every  household  in  the  block  and  identified  the  out-­‐of-­‐school  girls.  EG  
has  very  good  rapport  with  the  community  and  convinced  parents  to  send  their  daughters  to  
school.  The  results  in  the  schools  have  been  very  good.    EG  needs  to  upscale  the  program  in  the  
entire  district:  -­‐  Mr.  V.R.  Bawal,  District  Education  Officer  and  ADPC,  SSA,  Pali  
 
“I   believe   education   is   the   most   important   thing   to   be   provided   to   children   for   their   future.  
Educate  Girls  has  greatly  developed  their  opportunities  for  education  so  we  will  strive  to  give  
our  full  support  to  EG  and  the  SDMC.”  –    

 Head  Master  Ashok,  SDMC  Member    

Baseline End-line Difference


Where March 2008 Dec 2009

Bali 1,734 4,751 3,017 174%

Rani 646 1,665 1,019 158%

Sumerpur 1,026 2,708 1,682 164%

Total 3,406 9,124 5,718 168%

  21  
 

Higher community support for EDUCATE GIRLS programs compared with


non-program schools (control group)

EG program schools attracted high levels of community support. This community


involvement leads them to identify problems and find solutions for improving the
schools. It has also ensured an increase in monitoring of the school resources and
staff. In fact there has been an increase in contribution (cash and kind) from individual
donors (Bhamashahs) and the community (Annexure 3).

Comparison of Community 30 Program 30 Non-Program


Participation: Schools Schools
(Based on 6 months of (Based on 6 months
data collected July of data collected July
2009-Dec 2009) 2009-Dec 2009)
Number of SDMC/ GSS (Gram Shiksha
Sabhas - Village meetings) held in the 347 114
School
Whole School Development Plans Made 459 175
WSDPs Completed 280 83
Total Community and SDMC Attendance at
5,606 1,222
the meetings held in the Schools

4. Creative Learning and Teaching (CLT) techniques:


methodology training for teachers

Creative Learning and Teaching techniques are a critical part of the EG project model.
These techniques have the potential to improve the learning levels of children,
provided teachers integrate the techniques into classroom processes.

CLT is aimed at classroom processes, which are girl friendly and child centric. The
emphasis is on accelerated learning methods so that children can learn quickly and
enjoy the process of learning. Girl friendly teaching and learning practices go a long
way to ensure that girls do not drop out of school.

As per the MoU, EG trained DIET members in the Creative Learning and Teaching (CLT)
methodology. The objective of the training was to transfer the know-how to the DIET
members, who in turn would be responsible for training the teachers of the selected
schools. The first CLT training was held from the 12th – 14th May 2008. 12 members
of the DIET were trained by EG Consultant, Dr. Brendan MacCarthaigh. The
  22  
 
methodology emphasizes the importance of group work or peer group activities,
which build a sense of confidence among the children. It also lessens the amount of
work pressure the teachers face.

EG trained 12 KGBV teachers and 324 project area teachers in Creative Learning and
Teaching at the output level. After the training, EG provided technical guidance and
support to teachers to implement the techniques in selected schools. The details of
blockwise trained teachers under Creative Learning and Teaching methodology.

Name of the No. of teachers trained No. of schools implementing CLT


Block
Bali 191 28

Rani 45 8

Sumerpur 88 16

Total 324 52

EG carried out pre- and post-training tests with students in the intervention schools in
order to assess the impact of CLT on the performance of children. The results were
highly encouraging.

The feedback from teachers, who were trained in CLT, showed that CLT helped them
in explaining concepts to their students, who not only enjoyed the classroom
processes, but also learned at a faster pace. Use of CLT in the classroom processes
also generated greater interest, teamwork and confidence among the children.
Children’s abilities in subjects like Hindi, English and Math increased dramatically
according to the test scores as shown in the following tables (Annexure 5).

Hindi Reading Levels: - All classes


Pre Test Post test

Level Number Percent Number Percent


No Response 68 7.10% 4 0.40%
Recognises Alphabets 102 10.70% 35 3.70%
Reads Words 195 20.50% 113 12.10%
Reads Sentences 227 23.80% 244 26.70%
Reads a Paragraph 361 37.90% 557 57.60%
Total 953 100% 953 100%
Percentage Gain: 52%

  23  
 

English Reading Levels: - All classes


Pre Test Post Test

Level Number Percent Number Percent


No Response 133 14% 6 0.60%
Recognises Alphabets 309 32.40% 135 14.50%
Reads Words 171 28.40% 275 29.40%
Reads Sentences 130 13.60% 229 24.50%
Reads a Paragraph 110 11.50% 308 30.90%

Total 953 100% 953 100%


Percentage Gain: 169%

Basic Maths Levels: - All classes

Pre Test Post test

Level Number Percent Number Percent


No Response 75 7.90% 2 0.20%
Recognises Numbers
(Single Digit) 175 18.40% 39 4.20%
Recognises Numbers
(Up to Three Digits) 315 33.10% 158 16..9%
Can Do Addtion Upto
Two Digits 197 20.70% 242 25.90%
Can Do Addition and
Subtraction Upto Two
Digits 191 20% 512 52.80%

Total 953 100% 953 100%


Percentage Gain: 164%

• Hindi reading (paragraphs): up from 42% to 59%

• English reading (paragraphs): up from 15% to 43%

• Maths (two digit addition and subtraction): 26% to 57%

  24  
 

5. Bal Sabhas in Educate Girls project schools (500)

Children and young people often represent over 40% of the societies in which they
live, yet they have traditionally been excluded from decision-making all over the
world. EG reversed this trend by forming Bal Sabha (children’s parliament) in
schools in its project area in Pali.

This has been done in the true spirit of the UN Convention on Child Rights to
empower children to bring about changes in their own lives and to build a better
future. According to the convention, children have the right to freedom of expression,
to form and join associations and to seek and receive appropriate information. There
is a need to work closely with children to make sure that they have the right to
survival; to full development; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and
exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

The objective of a Bal Sabha (Children’s Parliament) is to encourage child participation


in matters relevant to their growth and development, not only as individuals but also
as a group, which aspires towards a better and happier society. The motivation for
developing participation comes from the growing emphasis on child rights and good
community development practices that enable people to address their own
problems. This encouragement of strengths enables hidden leadership qualities to
emerge, and the existing talents to become more polished.

Within Rajasthan, the concept of a Bal Sabha enhances child participation and boosts
the confidence and self esteem of girls, especially in backward and rural areas. In the
traditional social and cultural framework of Rajasthan, girls grow up with preset
gender roles in their mind and develop a demeanor in compliance with these
expectations. Therefore it is a big achievement for these girls to stand up and speak
with confidence in a male dominated society.

In the EG model, the Bal Sabha members are all girls elected through open
democratic processes in the school. There are lots of activities that the Bal Sabha
members conduct. With special encouragement from teachers and EG staff, some
Bal Sabhas have even gone beyond the routine activities. This has been possible due
to the encouragement and interests of the teachers and Educate Girls staff which
gives the children confidence to create new projects.

  25  
 
Some of the Educate Girls initiatives are:

- Enrollment Initiatives: Encouraging dropout girls to return and never


enrolled girls to join school. In some villages, girls participated in
campaigns for encouraging the enrollment of out-of-school and dropout girls.

Members of the Bal Sabha in several villages achieved enrollment of 11 dropout


girls in the mainstream school, supported by the efforts of friends and local
leaders. Some Bal Sabhas have been active and aware enough to send the
names of dropout girls for the 6 month Enrollment Camp organized near their
villages.

Nam e of Bal Sabha M em bers Nam e of Villages Num ber of girls


enrolled

Jaina d/o Vikram Ouna 3


Geeta Khimaran Dalawaton Ka Kheda 2

Sangita Kuran Khadara 1

Shumitra Bharadwaj Pawa, Sumerpur 4

Kamla Garwal 1

- Attendance Chart: Tracking the attendance of girls who may not be attending
regularly and following up with those girls to see why they are not coming to
school. Educate Girls supplied attendance charts to all the schools.

- Life Skill Games: The unique feature of the Educate Girls project is imparting
and equipping girls with life skills through the platform of Bal Sabhas. EG
developed a Life Skills curriculum. The Bal Sabha members were trained by EG
staff in the activities and games.

- Leadership in School: Bal Sabha members are seen as leaders of the girls
and the school and therefore organize cultural activities and participate actively in
the SDMC and GSS meetings.

- Innovative Activities: Girls have also enjoyed Bal Sabhas and have come
together for various innovative activities. During a volunteer visit, girls of a local
village school got together and made greeting cards out of waste material to give
as gifts to their new friends.

  26  
 

Few girls have the confidence to reveal their


natural abilities. But Toral, a student of 8th
Standard in KGBV, Khaud, Rani, is not afraid
to share her talents. She sang a couple of
songs beautifully and without hesitation.

Toral comes from a poor family in the Choti


Rani village and has 11 siblings in her family.
She joined KGBV after attending the bridge
course, thanks to efforts of EGG. There are
other schoolgirls who have also shown
leadership qualities. They all want to
continue their studies and fulfil their dreams.

“I want to study and become a teacher” – Dimple, Class VII, Girls UPS,
Ramnagar, Sumerpur

“We like to participate in the activities of Bal Sabha. We can now speak well with
unknown people” – Renuka, Priyanka, Puja, Ujjwal, Neeru, Khushbu, Amita,
Kanchan, Deepika, Nita, Girls UPS, Ramnagar, Sumerpur and Badi, KGBV, Khetrali,
Falna
“We like to help other students and enjoy working on computer. We want to become
engineer” – Radha and Fancy, Govt. Balika UPS, Khivadi
“Through Bal Sabha, we have learnt about hygiene and help younger siblings to stay
clean. We like to study and would like to be teacher” – Sangita, Teena, Hemlata,
Girls UPS, Barawa, Bali

“I like to work with children in Bal Sabha and teach them. Life skills have helped girls
in many ways. They are performing better now in class” – Sangita Rajpurohit, BA,
Natural Leader, Barawa, Bali
“Educate Girls helped me to re-enroll and buy supplies for school and find
accommodation nearby. I was so happy to be back in school. Now I am studying
really hard. I will make sure that my children do not face the same obstacles that my
sisters and I do.

  27  
 

Case Study: Kumari Bhanwari Kumawat


 

 
 
A 15-year-old girl from a rural village has shown what is possible through child participation in Bal
Sabha membership. Her name is Bhanwari, her parents are farmers and she has two brothers
and one sister. Her parents weren’t really interested in educating her, but Bhanwari’s potential
convinced her parents that she could be more than just be a farmer’s daughter.

Bhanwari became a Bal Sabha Panch on her election through democratic voting organized by
Educate Girls. Her classmates elected her because of her dynamic personality. Through the
Educate Girls orientation she gained a new perspective on child participation in matters relevant to
her. For her initiative, supported by Educate Girls, she took her school’s Bal Sabha beyond the
routine activities. Teachers were compelled to support her in the initiatives after seeing her
confidence and excitement.

Bhanwari took the initiative of getting together with the Educate Girls team and other local
supporters to bring back the out-of-school and dropout girls to school and to ensure their retention.
Her personal efforts led to the enrollment of 7 village girls into mainstream schooling. She also
participated in the Panchayat and School Development and Management Committee meetings to
advocate for enrollment issues and the need of facilities in the school such as classrooms, female
toilets and a common room for girls. She developed as a leader and became a confident girl with
the potential to serve as a role model for her juniors.

Bhanwari topped the final exams of the 8th standardand is now privileged to study in standard 9, a
big achievement considering her socio-economic and family background. She has been a leader
in the Independence and Republic Day Parades, and wants to complete her education and
become a police officer. She continues to face challenges as her family plans to have her married
as soon as she completes the 10th class.

Bhanwari is a very good example of child participation. She set a bold example of good community
participation and community ownership in her village and school. After leaving the school, she
continues to be persistent in her efforts and has aligned with the local Anganwadi workers as well.
 

  28  
 

6. Impact of Life Skills on girls

In the traditional social and cultural framework of Rajasthan, girls grow up within
preset gender roles and develop a demeanor in compliance with these expectations.
Life Skills classes had the objective to encourage child participation and boost the
confidence and self esteem of girls, especially in backward and rural areas.

Educate Girls conducted pre- and post-training tests with girls in order to measure
the impact of Life Skills. The various life skill areas were depicted in 17 pictures, having
situational questions (Annexure 5), which elicited responses from the girls. The
sampled data was divided into 3 groups - high, average and low scoring.

The pre-training test scores demonstrated that when it came to dealing with the
world outside, the girls preferred not to express themselves and denied their feelings.
Their ability to deal with the world was lacking emotionally. Suppression of personal
feelings and denial of the importance of their emotions could leave the girls unhappy
with themselves as they get older, eventually perhaps suffering from feelings of
worthlessness.

The post-training test results reflect that the girls have an improved ability to express
their feelings and are able to better articulate themselves. They also display
enhanced ability to cope with emotional situations, suggesting that the life skill inputs
provided by teachers and trainers were crucial in affecting their conduct. The girls
showed an improvement of 99% and 63% in the areas of inter-personal relationships
and coping with emotions, respectively.

  29  
 

Pre-­‐Test  Score  
Post  Test  Score  

The above figure presents a distinct change visible in girls in some of the life skill
areas. 1,528 girls were interviewed in 120 program schools before and after Life Skills
training. Interviewed girls secured a score of 49,634 in the test prior to training in July
2009. A drastic improvement of 39% was witnessed in their score as these girls
secured a score of 69,139 in the test after the training in December 2009. The details
of pre-test and post-test results of Life Skills training in Educate Girls program schools
compared to non-program schools are presented in Annexure 6.

The impact of life skills tracked by Educate Girls has been significantly positive.
Changes in the behavior of girls is visible in schools. They have gradually become
aware of their identities and environment. The girls have realized the importance of
education. They have started communicating with outside people confidently, are
willing to share their future aspirations, and consistently demonstrate leadership
qualities.

A brief evaluation of girls carried out by clinical psychologist Dr. Trupti Jayin confirms
the paradigm shift in girls in terms of confidence and self esteem. A few girls have
emerged as natural leaders and convinced parents in the local communities to send
their out-of-school daughters to schools.

  30  
 

7. Girl friendly environment in Educate Girls project schools (500)

Educate Girls works towards making the school infrastructure and environment girl
friendly. This includes female teachers and various facilities, such as separate toilets
for girls and drinking water. These elements play a crucial role in girl child retention in
the school. Weights were assigned to various elements in declaring schools girl
friendly.

Creative programs for girls 20%


Girls toilet 20%
Drinking water 20%
Girls common room 10%
Female teacher 20%
Active Bal Sabha 10%
Total 100%

As shown in the following figure, Educate Girls schools have improved in


infrastructure and environment, as per the endline survey in 500 schools. As the
weight for female teachers is 20%, those schools at 80% just need adequate female
teachers to reach 100%, something beyond the control of EG. The figure shows that
the increased number of girl friendly schools to 80% and 100% is a significant
achievement of the EG project.

  31  
 

Endline,  80%,  
Girl  cBaseline  
hild  friendly   schools  242  
Endline  
Baseline,  80%,  
201  
Baseline,  50%,  
No.  of  girl  friendly  schools   175  
Endline,  50%,  
148  
Endline,  100%,  
Baseline,  20%,   116  
106  

Endline,  20%,  28   Baseline,  100%,  


14  
Categories  of  girl  friendly  schools  

Girl friendly environment in Educate Girls program schools compared to


control group of non-program schools

As indicated in the following two figures, program schools demonstrate significant


growth in creating a girl friendly environment over non-program schools as per
endline data (Annexure 7). 56% of program schools had reached 100% in January
2010, against 46% schools in July 2009. In contrast, non-program schools
demonstrated a marginal increase of only 3% in the same category over the same
period of time. Obviously the Educate Girls project has successfully intervened to
convert a higher number of government schools to girl friendly.

Girl  child  friendly  Schools  (Baseline)  


No.  and  %  of  schools  

30%  
60%  
70%  
100%  

Categories  of  program  and  non  program  schools    

  32  
 

Girl  child  friendly  Schools  (Endline)  

No.  and  %  of  schools   30%  


60%  
70%  
100%  

Categories  of  program  and  non  program  schools  

• Number of schools with separate girl’s toilets rose from 44% to 71%

• Number of schools with drinking water rose from 46% to 82%

8. Higher girls attendance

Educate Girls program strategies emphasized community mobilization and


sensitization of parents towards regular schooling of girls. The Bal Sabhas have
stimulated feelings of self esteem, aspiration and zeal in girls for learning and to lead
the community and society in different spheres. Girls have begun to realize the
significance and potential of education in reshaping their lives. Girls, considered to be
the hardest to reach, are registering higher attendance in schools amidst challenges
in the EG program areas.

Educate Girls program schools demonstrated consistently higher attendance


compared to non-program schools. EG tracked girls’ attendance in the schools by
head count and school attendance register. As shown in the following table, girls’
attendance improved by 10-15% in program areas (Annexure 2).

% Girls’ Attendance
% Attendance on day of visit Program Schools Non-Program Schools

Aug.’09
School Register Data 85% 79%
Educate Girls Headcount 76% 68%

Dec.’09

  33  
 
School Register Data 92% 83%
Educate Girls Headcount 92% 82%

Girls’ attendance increased from 67% to 82%

9. Teacher attendance and availability

Research has shown that teacher attendance has an impact on student learning and
quality of education. Again if school quality is low, it has a direct impact not only on
learning levels but also on access-related indicators such as student attendance,
retention and transition.

CLT offers a child-centered classroom learning environment and creative activities,


and Educate Girls’ holistic educational approach addresses the issues of teacher
attendance, shortages (especially of female teachers), teacher morale and
development.

Educate Girls’ strategy of mobilizing the community, parents and SDMC members;
sensitizing teachers and advocating with government officials for implementation of
WSDPs has brought overall positive changes in teacher motivation, commitment and
attendance in schools in three blocks of the Pali District. The attendance of teachers
has generally improved in all schools in those blocks. In addition, there was
marginally improved attendance and availability of teachers in the EG program
schools. (Annexure 2).

% Teacher Attendance
% Attendance on day of Program Schools Non-Program
visit Schools
July ‘09
School Register Data 96% 95%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 94% 94%

Decem ber ‘09


School Register Data 100% 96%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 99% 96%

  34  
 

10. Gender sensitization through Meena Manch

As per the MoU with UNICEF, Meena Manch training was organized in June of 2009.
A total of 40 CRCFs and 50 Meena Facilitators were trained. They were responsible
for effective implementation of Meena Activities in 500 schools through the formation
of a Meena Manch, or Meena Cabinet.

In order to sensitize the community on gender issues and develop awareness about
girls’ education, the facilitators carried out Meena Manch activities. As part of the
activities, Jan Jaagrati Rallies were organized in selected villages where there were
more out-of-school girls.

Meena Film show

In order to sensitize the community on gender issues, Meena CD shows were


organized in 102 villages (Bali – 48, Sumerpur – 29 and Rani – 25). Community
volunteers, field coordinators and APO in their respective clusters, along with
schoolteachers and CRCF, organized the village meetings. Since this was during
school vacations, the period was allocated for building links with the communities
through village meetings and door-to-door contact.

Educate Girls – Making a Difference

Educate Girls is playing an important role in educational and social development in


the project areas. EG makes it possible for girls to access the rights, opportunities and
resources they need to improve their lives through education. EG makes strategic
interventions and collaborations with the Government of Rajasthan in ensuring
education for all and supports the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan agenda in the state.

Educate Girls enables the hardest to reach girls to access education, learn, grow,
boost their economic prosperity and improve quality of life for themselves, their
families and their communities. EG focuses on capacity building and knowledge
reception, advocacy and dissemination of successful practices and experiences in
promotion of girls’ education with the government and other stakeholders. Finally EG
generates the formation of improved human.

  35  
 
In fact, the EG program model offers better opportunity cost when it comes to
providing access to education for all girls. This goes beyond simple educational
statistics to include the empowerment of girls and women, community mobilization
and improved learning and teaching performance in the schools. Rajasthan is
witnessing a silent but significant change, taking place in the field of girls’ education,
despite it being one of the most difficult areas in the state.

The returns from EG’s program investment in 500 schools turned out to be much
higher than the government’s investment in same number of schools, shown through
a comparative study. While the government spends Rs. 7,177 per child in providing
education, the cost per child in the EG model is a meager Rs. 57.

Cost efficiency is an important aspect that highlights the relevance, effectiveness and
impact of the EG model. The following table shows the comparative advantage and
returns of the model in the Pali District schools. The details of estimated government
costs 500 schools are provided in Annexure 8. Additionally, the costs for professional
staff and expert consultants, the use of relevant teaching-learning methodologies,
project management and financial systems, and appropriate support and
supervision of staff enable EG to be more efficient and effective for its beneficiaries.

For Rs 50 crores* the Govt. For For 1% of the % change


governm ent achieves Every investm ent
100 girls EG helps the
governm ent
reach the
following
Total Girls 6-14 in catchment area 37,339 100% 37,339 100%
Total Girls Enrolled in 500 schools 33,500 90% 37,060 99%
Out of School 3,839 10% 279 0.75%
Not Attending Regularly approx
25% of total enrollment 8,375 25% 5,559 15%
Balance Completing Regular
School 25,125 67% 31,501 84%

Percentage Gain for the increased num ber of girls now connected to the
school system and attending regularly: 25%

  36  
 

7 Lessons Learnt and Recommendations

According to observations made by the 8th Joint Review Mission of SSA (2008), in
terms of pedagogical practice, more instructional time is spent on traditional teaching
practices (listening, reading aloud etc.) and this trend increases even more from
grade 2 to grade 6. Less classroom time is spent on child-centered practices such as
active learning, discussion, projects and creative activities etc. The Educate Girls
model has tried to address these issues through CLT and introduced child-centric
teaching and learning processes. The results have been encouraging, showing a
positive impact on student learning.

The Educate Girls model has proved to be successful at a large scale in one of most
difficult and remote areas of Rajasthan. The government-run schools are not in a
position to mobilize communities and ensure their participation, Hence a model as
effective as EG’s should be adopted and replicated in various states to achieve similar
project results.

Girls have become agents of change after realizing the value, necessity and benefits
of education. They have reached out to their friends and relatives, ensuring that other
girls will also benefit the way they have. Bal Sabhas and Life Skills classes have
instilled confidence and zeal in girls and who are now better equipped to cope with
the challenges of life.

However, it has not been an easy road for EG’s project, which experienced several
challenges and constraints. Some of the major challenges faced by EG were
unavailability of timely support and also a lack of dedicated and responsible people
to facilitate government aspects. The shortage of teachers, especially female
teachers, has been one of the major reasons for low enrollment of girls in the project
schools. Lack of facilities and girl friendly schools is the biggest hindrance to getting
girls back to school. It has also been difficult for EG to motivate teachers to introduce
new teaching techniques and continue using them.

Educate Girls has provided technical and staff support in imparting life skills to the
girls. Teachers have been trained in Creative Learning and Teaching (CLT) techniques.
It is suggested to designate a school in each block to serve as the Resource Center
and Model School, which has the teachers (Master Trainers) trained in CLT and can
show good results.

  37  
 

Conclusion

Educate Girls project schools have seen increases in girls’ enrollment and
attendance, improved academic performance and significant action towards building
‘girl-friendly’ schools. Most importantly EG has seen a surge in community ownership
and political constituency, key factors in guaranteeing the success of the project.

Working with the state ministry of education in Rajasthan, Educate Girls has
completed the first two stages of its project. Now it is in the third and final
developmental stage, expanding into every school in the Pali District, more than
2,300 schools, and serving about 260,000 children.

The Educate Girls business model has succeeded in achieving a greater degree of
sensitization among the community towards the need to make girls’ education a
priority. Schools have made efforts to improve infrastructure, increase enrollment,
decrease absenteeism and prevent dropouts.

  38  
 
ANNEXURE-1
OUT-OF-SCHOOL GIRLS DATA FOR 500 SCHOOL AREA

Total Out of School Girls - EDUCATE


GIRLS Survey
Baseline (March 2008) Endline (Dec 2009) Difference %

Bali 2,107 176 (1,931) -92%


Rani 695 46 (649) -93%
Sumerpur 1,037 57 (980) -95%
Total 3,839 279 (3,560) -93%

DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF ALL OUT OF SCHOOL GIRLS IN THE 500 SCHOOL AREA

reenrollment into school


Total Girls out of School

Total girls identified for


Villages or Anganwadi

Villages or Anganwadi
for 2008-09 (5+ years
admissions in Class 1

admissions in Class 1
for 2009-10 (4+ years

educational services
Total Never Enrolled

Total identified in

Total identified in

system or other
centers for new

centers for new


Total Dropouts
Name of Block

Identified

Identified

old)

old)
BALI 1222 885 2107 870 851 3828
RANI 478 217 695 390 304 1389
SUMERPUR 663 374 1037 642 650 2329
Total 2363 1476 3839 1902 1805 7546

Girls Enrollment in 3 Blocks (DISE)

Girls Enrollment DISE* DISE DISE Two Year


Sep-07 Sep-08 Sep-09 Difference % Increase
Bali 13,171 14,211 15,219 2,048 16%
Rani 4,172 4,327 4,792 620 15%
Sumerpur 10,343 10,263 10,744 401 4%
Pali District 99,751 101,536 1,785 2%
Total 127,437 130,337 30,755 4,854 4%

  39  
Name of Block

 
 

Total
Total girls identified for re-enrollment into
school system or other educational

7546
services

Out of school Girls whose age could not


be verified by SDMC and village

EDUCATE GIRLS DATA:


394
meetings

Girls who became over 14 years of age


and/or migrated out of the area and
could not be tracked for re-enrollment in
580 2009

Total Out of School Girls Re-enrolled in

New admissions in Class1 by EDUCATE GIRLS staff

Current Drop outs being tracked by EDUCATE GIRLS


mainstream Schools till 31 August 2008

40  
(Never Enrolled + Dropout)
2383

School data on girls who left school completing the 8th grade
Admitted in KGBVs*
Total girls reenrolled by EDUCATE GIRLS in school till Aug 31 2009
109

Girls' Enrollment as per DISE Data for 500 schools Sept 2008

Girls appearing for open School (VIII


class exam - Application Forms
35

Total Expected Girls' Enrollment in 2009 - 2010 by EDUCATE GIRLS data submitted for March 2010)

Girls who have joined "Shiksha Mitra" &


Girls' Enrollment as per Government DISE Data for 500 schools Sept 2009
Other Optional Classes run outside the
59

school system
COMPARISON OF GIRLS ENROLLMENT BASED ON GOVERNMENT DISE DATA AND

Till Date total New Admissions in Class 1


30755
30736
28801

279
3876
3707
2383
DETAILS OF RE-ENROLLMENT OF ALL OUT OF SCHOOL GIRLS IN THE 500 SCHOOL AREA

in 2009
3707

Balance Out of school Girls as on Dec


279

2009
 
ANNEXURE-2

ENROLLMENT AND ATTEDANCE IN EDUCATE GIRLS PROGRAM SCHOOLS COMPARED TO


NON-PROGRAM SCHOOLS

Total Girls' Enrollment

Item Program Schools Non-Program Schools


(Based on data collected till Dec (Based on data collected till
2009) Dec 2009)
As on May 2008 2216 1949
As on July 2008 2361 1971
As on Jul ‘09 2293 1779
As on Dec ‘09 2211 1847

% increase/decrease 0% -5%

% Girls’ Attendance

% Attendance on day of visit Program Schools Non-Program Schools

July ‘09
n/a n/a

School Register Data


EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 85% 75%

Aug ‘09 76% 68%


School Register Data 82% 78%

EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 82% 76%


Sept ‘09 85% 80%

School Register Data 82% 76%


EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 81% 75%

Oct ‘09 76% 64%


School Register Data 92% 83%

EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 92% 82%


Nov ‘09 79% 74%

School Register Data 79% 73%


EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount

  41  
 
n/a n/a

Dec ‘09
School Register Data 85% 75%

EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 76% 68%


82% 78%
Jan-10
School Register Data 96% 93%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 96% 92%

% Teacher Attendance

% Attendance on day of visit Program Schools Non-Program Schools

July ‘09
School Register Data 96% 95%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 94% 94%
Aug ‘09
School Register Data 93% 87%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 89% 78%
Sept ‘09
School Register Data 88% 91%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 85% 91%
Oct ‘09
School Register Data 87% 88%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 87% 84%
Nov ‘09
School Register Data 89% 93%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 89% 84%
Dec ‘09
School Register Data 100% 96%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 99% 96%
Jan-10
School Register Data 96% 93%
EDUCATE GIRLS Headcount 96% 92%

  42  
 
ANNEXURE- 3

Community Mobilization and WSDPs

Bhamashah Contribution Community Contribution (Villagers)

• Land • Rewards

• Classroom / Office • Efforts to Increase Teachers

• Furniture / Fans / Elec. Fittings / Table / Chairs • Sweets for Independence and Republic Day

• Drinking Water • Stationary

• Girls’ Toilets • Tree Guard / Plantation

• Stationary / Uniforms / Books • Sports Competition

• Library Books • Sound Set

• Tree Guards • Iron Box

• Computers • Mattresses

• Donation for Waqh Peeth • Kitchen Utensils

• Kitchen sed • Water Tank

• Gas Connection • Water Tank

• Mattresses • Table / Chairs

• Boundary Wall

• Socks / Sweaters

• Kitchen Utensils

• Water Connection

• Electrical Connection

• Tube Well for Water Supply

• School Building

• Repair Work

• Iron Box

• Large Hall

• Tap Recorder /Sound Set / Drums

• All Building Extension

  43  
 
• Main Gate

Total Community/Bhamasha
Contribution
Baseline March 2008 Endline Dec 2009 Difference % Increase
Bali 320 766 446 139%
Rani 127 264 137 108%
Sumerpur 264 416 152 58%
Total 711 1,446 735 103%

Total Village
Contribution
Bali 52 383 331 637%
Rani - 240 240 #DIV/0!
Sumerpur 37 130 93 251%
Total 89 753 664 746%

Whole School Development Plans


Total WSDP
Completed
Baseline March Endline
2008 Dec 2009 Difference % Increase
Bali 200 989 789 395%
Rani 70 216 146 209%
Sumerpur 61 1,063 1,002 1643%
Total 331 2,268 1,937 585%

  44  
 

Status of Infrastructure in 500 Schools


Baseline March Endline Dec %
2008 2009 Difference change
Drinking Water 234 412 178 76%
Separate Toilet for Girls 222 356 134 60%
Enough Tables 321 216 (105) -33%
Enough Chairs 327 338 11 3%
Mattress 323 312 (11) -3%
Play Material 258 245 (13) -5%
Play ground 190 191 1 1%
Computers 10 33 23 230%
Common room for Girls 48 65 17 35%
Electricity 118 145 27 23%
Blackboard 477 479 2 0%
Monthly Health Checkup 334 354 20 6%
Boundary Wall 245 243 (2) -1%
Library 197 187 (10) -5%
EDUCATE GIRLS 's Meena
Manch Library 1 500 499 49900%

Total WSDP made for adding


teachers male and female
Endline Dec 2009
Bali 54
Rani 15
Sumerpur 26
Total 95

  45  
 
ANNEXURE-4

Creative Programs

• Sports Competition

• Cultural Songs

• Debate and Mehandi Competition

• Tree Planting

• Balvikas Fair and Festival

• Vocational Training (Tailoring)

• School Cleaning

• Bal Sabha Activity

• Life Skill Activity

• Educational Tour

• Leadership

• Drawing activities

• Yoga

• Computer Education

  46  
 
ANNEXURE-5

Adapt Life Inventory (ALI)

Life skill evaluation checklist

The various life skill areas have been depicted in 17 pictures in which situational questions elicit
responses.

Picture Life skill Scoring

1 - Why do you want to go to Critical thinking 3- Choice indicating personal growth will help
school? when she grows.
2- parents want it
1- I don’t know why?
2 - What do you want to be when Decision making 3- indicating personal growth in vocation
you grow big? 2- anything
1- I don’t know
3 - What should you do before Self awareness 3- wash/clean your hands with soap.
eating your food? 2- Good you reminded me, teacher too says
that. I will do it now.
1- I don’t know. No I am not going to. Anyway
after eating I have to wash my hands.
4 - There is work at home so Decision making 3- No I must go to school because I like to.
don’t go to school. 2- I want to go because my friend is going.
1- Ok. I won’t go.
5 - Go and get water. Decision making 3- I am studying, I will do it later.
2- Ask someone else mum, I am busy.
1- Ok.
6 - Don’t make a noise; your Empathy 3- Ok, mum I will go and play outside.
father is sleeping. 2- We will not make a noise but I will play
here.
1- No I will continue playing.
7 - You hit me and I am no longer Interpersonal 3- I am sorry, please give me another chance,
your friend. relation it won’t happen again.
2- Ok will you play with me later?
1- Don’t play, I don’t care.
8 - Have you had a bath? Self awareness 3- yes I have a bath everyday
2- I don’t like having a bath, will have it later.
1- Will have a bath tomorrow.
9 - Why have you broken my Coping with 3- Sorry, it won’t happen again/ I will but you
doll? emotions a new doll/ take my doll.
2- So what, it’s ok, you can buy a new one.
1- Don’t play with me, I don’t care.
10 - Give me back my cycle. Interpersonal 3- Ok, in a minute/ you can take your turn/ will
relations you allow me to ride it later.
2-I am riding it now, wait for some more time.
1- No I will finish and then only give it to you/
not now later.
11 - Which moment in your life Critical thinking 3- Clear and defined about self needs.
has been sad/ unhappy? 2- Blames others for the feeling.
1- I don’t know. Who cares?
12 - Being a girl, how can you Critical thinking 3- Personal happiness and satisfying her
enjoy yourself? needs.
2- Helping others so they allow her to do what
she likes.
1- nothing/ I can never do anything that
makes me happy/ mum will get angry.
13 - What do you like in school? Problem solving 3- responses about study/ learn/play
2- nothing
1- I don’t like school.
  47  
 
14 - What is the work that you can Problem solving 3- Everything that he can do I can do too.
do that your brother can’t? 2- You don’t allow me or can do everything.
1- Just cooking / cleaning.
15 - Which moment in your life is Self awareness 3- Some answer that indicates personal
most satisfactory? needs.
2- Helping others so that she is looked after.
1- I never feel good.
16 -Which action of your teacher Empathy 3- I don’t blame her/ next time she will be
did you not like at all? good to me/ she must have had a bad day.
2- Rude / hit me / does not love me.
1- I can’t tell you/ teacher will get angry.
17 - You are a very good boy; this Coping with 3- Adjusting positively to her mother giving her
is for you. emotions brother a gift.
2- Congratulating her brother.
1- Why not me/ I want it too.

The score 0-17 indicates that the person is socially/ emotionally less adaptive.

(< Adaptiveness)

The scores 17-34 indicate that the person is in the process of adapting. (Average)

The scores 34-51 indicate that the person is able to adapt to various situations well.

(> Adaptiveness)

  48  
 
ANNEXURE-6

Impact of Life Skills

LIFE SKILLS PRE- AND POST-TEST DATA FROM 120 UPPER PRIMARY SCHOOLS COVERING 1500+ GIRLS

Life Skills Scores


1528 girls from 120 program Schools (upper Jul-09 Dec-09
primary)
Percentage
Questions Pre-Test Score Post-Test Score Change
My friend beat me so she is not my friend 1878 3740 99%
Did you have a bath today 3945 4364 11%
Why do you go to school 3800 4340 14%
What do you want to be when you grow up 3879 4392 13%
Why did you break my doll 2406 3910 63%
Give me your bicycle 2299 3861 68%
What do you like in your school 3512 4278 22%
What work can you do which your brother cannot 2369 3790 60%
What will you do before eating food 3690 4346 18%
There is work at home, don’t go to school 3261 4179 28%
This toy is for your brother because he is a boy 2405 3802 58%
Go and fetch water 2215 3828 73%
Don’t make noise, your father is sleeping 2606 3979 53%
When do you feel sad 3066 4202 37%
How can you enjoy when you are a girl 2466 3900 58%
When do you feel happy 3363 4259 27%
When teacher shouts at you why do you feel bad 2474 3969 60%
TOTAL 49,634 69,139 39%

  49  
 

Life Skills Scores


319 Girls from 25 Program schools
Questions Pre-Test Score Post-Test Score % Change
Date of Test Jul-09 Dec-09
My friend beat me so she is not my friend 388 738 90%
Did you have a bath today 849 903 6%
Why do you go to school 856 898 5%
What do you want to be when you grow up 871 929 7%
Why did you break my doll 496 820 65%
Give me your bicycle 431 787 83%
What do you like in your school 778 888 14%
What work can you do which your brother cannot 513 886 73%
What will you do before eating food 801 923 15%
There is work at home, don’t go to school 709 867 22%
This toy is for your brother because he is a boy 554 789 42%
Go and fetch water 437 790 81%
Don’t make noise, your father is sleeping 508 792 56%
When do you feel sad 665 848 28%
How can you enjoy when you are a girl 558 837 50%
When do you feel happy 752 883 17%
When teacher shouts at you why do you feel bad 561 791 41%
TOTAL 10,727 14,369 34%

  50  
 

Life Skills Scores


319 Girls from 25 Program schools Compared with 319 number of girls from 25 non-program schools in Dec 2009
Program Non-Program %
Questions Schools Schools Difference
Date of Test Dec-09 Dec-09
My friend beat me so she is not my friend 738 90 -88%
Did you have a bath today 903 215 -76%
Why do you go to school 898 237 -74%
What do you want to be when you grow up 929 255 -73%
Why did you break my doll 820 124 -85%
Give me your bicycle 787 165 -79%
What do you like in your school 888 176 -80%
What work can you do which your brother cannot 886 197 -78%
What will you do before eating food 923 252 -73%
There is work at home, don’t go to school 867 156 -82%
This toy is for your brother because he is a boy 789 119 -85%
Go and fetch water 790 126 -84%
Don’t make noise, your father is sleeping 792 86 -89%
When do you feel sad 848 155 -82%
How can you enjoy when you are a girl 837 118 -86%
When do you feel happy 883 162 -82%
When teacher shouts at you why do you feel bad 791 77 -90%
TOTAL 14,369 2,710 -81%

READING LEVELS AS ON JAN 2010


  51  
 
Results for All Classes (3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) - 25

MIS Program Schools Non-Program Schools


Hindi
Reading Pre Test Post Test Hindi All Classes
Number of Number of Number of
Level Children Percentage Children Percentage Children Percentage
No Response 28 5% 1 0% 28 6%
Reads Words 94 16% 44 8% 179 41%
Reads
Sentences 154 27% 179 31% 113 26%
Reads a
Paragraph 245 42% 342 59% 118 27%
Total 577 100% 577 100% 438 100%

Percentage Gain: 40%


English
Reading Pre Test Post Test English All Classes
Number of Number of Number of
Level Children Percentage Children Percentage Children Percentage
No Response 58 10% 3 1% 80 18%
Recognizes
Alphabets 185 32% 53 9% 201 46%
Reads Words 154 27% 134 23% 107 24%
Reads
Sentences 93 16% 139 24% 33 8%
Reads a
Paragraph 87 15% 248 43% 17 4%
Total 577 100% 577 100% 438 100%

Percentage Gain: 185%


Basic Math Pre Test Post Test Math All Classes
Number of Number of Number of
Level Children Percentage Children Percentage Children Percentage
No Response 34 6% 0 0% 24 5%
Recognizes
Numbers
(single digit) 77 13% 17 3% 119 27%
Recognizes
Numbers (to
Three Digits) 178 31% 71 12% 139 32%
Addition (to
two digits) 136 24% 158 27% 72 16%
Addition and
Subtraction (to
two digits) 152 26% 331 57% 84 19%
Total 577 100% 577 100% 438 100%
Percentage Gain: 119%

  52  
 
PRE- AND POST-TEST DATA FROM 53 PROGRAM SCHOOLS

Results for All Classes (3 to 7) - 953 Children

Hindi Reading Levels Pre-Test Post-Test


Level Bali Rani Sumerpur Bali Rani Sumerpur
No Response 59 2 7 3 1 0
Recognizes Alphabets 53 13 36 21 1 13
Reads Words 91 26 78 49 7 57
Reads Sentences 63 39 125 81 46 117
Reads a Paragraph 78 54 229 190 79 288
Total 344 134 475 344 134 475

English Reading Levels Pre-Test Post-Test


Level Bali Rani Sumerpur Bali Rani Sumerpur
No Response 81 9 43 3 2 1
Recognizes Alphabets 131 47 131 63 10 62
Reads Words 91 54 126 131 27 117
Reads Sentences 23 22 85 78 53 98
Reads a Paragraph 18 2 90 69 42 197
Total 344 134 475 344 134 475

Basic Math Levels Pre-Test Post-Test


Level Bali Rani Sumerpur Bali Rani Sumerpur
No Response 59 8 8 2 0 0
Recognizes Numbers (single
digit) 92 20 63 20 2 17
Recognizes Numbers (to three
digits) 116 34 165 73 9 76
Addition (to two digits) 52 48 97 83 37 122
Addition and Subtraction (to
two digits) 25 24 142 166 86 260
Total 344 134 475 344 134 475

  53  
 

Total Number of Female Teachers

Program Schools Non-Program Schools


(Based on data collected until (Based on data collected
September 2009) until September 2009)

May 2008 42 15
July 2009 37 17
August 2009 40 18
September 2009 45 17
October 2009 43 16
November 2009 41 15
December 2009 42 17
January 2010 43 15
% increase 2% 0%

Girl Friendly Environment – July (Baseline)

Category Program Schools Percent Non-Program Schools Percent Total Percent

30% 3 10 5 16.67 8 13.33

60% 12 40 17 56.67 29 48.33

70% 1 3.33 2 6.67 3 5

100% 14 46.67 6 20 20 33.33

Total 30 100 30 100 60 100

Girl Friendly Environment – January 10 th (Endline)

Category Program Schools Percent Non-Program Schools Percent Total Percent

30% 0 0.00 2 6.67 2 3.33

60% 12 40.00 21 70.00 33 55.00

70% 1 3.33 0 0.00 1 1.67

100% 17 56.67 7 23.33 24 40.00

Total 30 100.00 30 100.00 60 100

ANNEXURE-8

  54  
 

Success Stories

SUMITHRA, 13, Re-enrolled

When Sumithra’s father died, her family plunged into poverty. “My father died
when I was in grade 5,” Sumithra recounts, tugging on the sleeve of a jumper
that is too big for her. The family struggled to cope without his income. “We
moved to Mumbai in search of livelihood so I had to drop out of school. While
my mother and my brother went out to work, I had to stay at home and try to
manage the domestic work. It was very hard to manage all the chores by
myself. I was very lonely too.”

After a year in Mumbai, things had not improved, so the family decided to return
to its village and stay with a grandmother. Sumithra’s friends were now ahead of
her at school. She stayed at home to work, until a community volunteer from Educate Girls visited her
family. After many visits he finally convinced them of the future benefits education could bring to the
entire family. “After many days,” she says smiling shyly, “they agreed to allow me to re-enroll in school.
I am so glad that Educate Girls helped me to go back to school. This is where I am most comfortable. I
am happy to be with my friends and most of all I love learning in my class.”

DIMPLE, 14, Re-enrolled

At age 13, Dimple’s desires were very different from her parents. She wanted
to continue with school, while her parents thought she should get married. “At
home I felt lonely,” she says. “I longed for the chance to be with girls my own
age. I didn’t want to get married yet.” But Dimple was afraid of what would
happen if she didn’t respect her parents’ wishes. They forced her to drop out
of school and began to plan her marriage.

When an Educate Girls community worker came to her home and began
speaking with her parents, Dimple was finally able to express her wishes and
re-enroll. “Since Educate Girls has talked to my parents, they are convinced
that a girl like me can attain a higher position just like a boy. I was really happy when they let me come
back to school.”

Dimple still faces challenges that her brothers do not. She still worries about marriage because her
parents continue to discuss it. Although she faces many barriers, she is determined to continue her
education. “Education gives me confidence to know which way I should go,” she says. “That is why I
strive so hard in my studies”.

  55  
 
DIMPLE, 14, Re-enrolled

Dimple has big dreams for the future. “I want to study hard and
become a doctor,” she says. “My example will make it easier for other
girls to study in the future”. At fourteen years old, Dimple knows this is
no easy task. With help from Educate Girls, these dreams have started
to become possible.

Dimple had spent a year away from school when EG community


workers first visited her home. “When I left school all I did was
housework,” she recounts, “but I desperately wanted to return to
school. I was so lonely. I longed for the chance to be with girls my own
age. I missed my classes, especially the computer skills class.”

Educate Girls workers came to Dimple’s house more than four times, talking with her parents and
trying to convince them to let their daughter go to school. And eventually, they did. Now Dimple wakes
up early in the morning and works late at night to balance housework with her studies. She is
confident her efforts will pay off. “My parents thought that girls are just meant to be at home,” she says,
“so there was no point in me going ahead in my education. But now they agree that girls can get
educated and go for jobs just like boys. They even believe I will get a job someday.”

RENUKA, 14, Bal Sabha member

“Everything changed when I joined the group of Bal Sabha,” Renuka


says. She gained enough self-esteem and confidence to make her
voice heard at school and at home. She has greater respect for others
and says that she is motivated to become “a more active citizen.”

As a Bal Sabha member Renuka teaches life skills games to other


students outside the Bal Sabha, so “they can profit from what I have
learned. I’ve made so many new friends in this way!” Renuka says
proudly.

“The problem for girls in our village is that the majority has to stay home
and do domestic work instead of going to school. My goal is to re-enroll
all of the girls who have dropped out in my village.” In the future she
wants to become a teacher and work towards better educational
opportunities for girls. “I believe that a good leader is able to inspire others to participate and be
active,” she says. “A good leader should give everyone a voice.”

  56  
 
NARINGI, 13, Re-enrolled

“If Educate Girls hadn’t helped me get back to school I would have got
married soon and been doing household work forever!” Naringi says.

As the eldest of her sisters, it fell to Naringi to take care of the household
chores when her mother was hospitalized last year. “My parents didn’t
think I should be in school anyway so I stayed at home and did all the
housework. I was so unhappy staying back, away from my friends. I was
convinced that school was the right place for me to be.”

“Educate Girls worked with respected people in my village to convince my


dad to let me re-enroll. I was so happy to be back at school! I love
studying and being with my friends again.”

Naringi’s mother is still not well so she gets up early and works late to have time for cooking, cleaning
and fetching water along with her schoolwork. “Housework has always been a burden for me,” she
says.

Naringi hopes her education will help her escape this daily struggle. “I will continue to work hard to
educate myself. I want to get a job when I am older, like the lady teacher at my school. I will be able to
earn something to support myself and bring a good name to my family through my efforts. If I achieve
all these things, I will not have to work so hard in the house!”

SEETHA, 14, Re-enrolled

Only one year ago the financial condition of Seetha’s family made it
seem she would have to give up school forever, despite her love for
learning.

“All my siblings and my parents had to work to earn money so I had to


stay at home to cook and fetch water and graze the cattle though all the
others my age were going to school. I always liked school. I had so
many friends and I missed them while I was at home. I knew that study
would improve the standard of life for me and my whole family. I wanted
to get to a higher position so I could earn enough money to sustain
ourselves. I did not want to be like my mother!”

Without EG’s guidance and support, Seetha may never have been able
to pursue these plans. She began to work to save money to pay her way
through school. “As well as the housework I began to cut wood to sell in the market until I had enough
savings to support myself,” she recounts. Seetha is now happily in school, dedicated to her studies and
doing well.

Seetha wants to be a kindergarten teacher so that more women can earn an income to support
themselves while she cares for their children. She is determined that she and her community will come
out of poverty one day. “Education with help me escape this daily struggle to get by,” she says.

  57  
 
Mamta, 14, Bal Sabha member

“I know I have learned so much since I joined the Bal Sabha,” Mamta
says. “Now I know the reasons why I should keep myself and my
environment clean and I can teach other children in my school about
hygiene. I even tell my family about the things I am learning.”

“I am very proud to be part of the Bal Sabha,” she says. “I have better
relationships with my family and friends now that I can communicate
better.”

Mamta’s new skills are benefiting the wider community as well as


herself. “I am glad to have a position where I can help encourage
dropped out girls to return to school just like I did,” she says. “I spoke confidently with my parents and
convinced them to send all my brothers and sisters back to school too”.

DURGA,13, Bal Sabha member

“I love having a space where we can share things and learn together,”
Durga says. “It gives us confidence and we have a chance to express
our hopes for the future and what we want to become.”

“I share what I learn in the Life Skills games with other children who
aren’t in the Bal Sabha. Now my class has respect for me and I have
earned a lot of recognition.”

“The games and songs are fun and they teach us to be responsible in
our society and our environment. We learn to be more active in our
school and home and community”.

“I think I will always use what I have learned in the Bal Sabha,” she says. “I want to become a doctor
and help my community by healing in my village”.

SUGANTHI, natural leader

“I can see the difference in the girls who have attended school and
girls who have not,” Suganthi says. “This is why I want every girl in my
village to attend school. It is difficult to convince people sometimes. I
have to explain the good impact of educating girls.”

“Educate Girls supports all of the girls who have dropped out and
helps them get back to school. The Educate Girls workers involve the
whole community, talk to parents to get support and guide the girls
through the process of re-enrolling because often the paperwork is
complicated. They understand that it is essential to have the support
of the community to succeed in bringing all girls back to school. Each
person can influence other villagers to change their views,” she says.

  58  
 
“I think every village should have Educate Girls!”

Retired Headmaster Bhatti, SDMC member

“We have noticed great changes in our school since Educate Girls
started working here. The enrollment rate is much higher and the
School Development Management Committee now has weekly
meetings to work on improving the school.”

“As a part of the committee, I try to motivate the parents to understand


the value of educating their daughters. We are trying to bring girls who
have dropped out back to school.”

“Since the beginning of the EG program, the committee has already


constructed two classrooms, a boundary wall and a water tank for the school. Our goal is to raise the
funds to build a high school just for girls and to increase the number of teachers at our school. At the
moment there are not enough teachers for the students”.

“EG’s support has made it possible for us to make these improvements to our school and our
community as well as our future”.

Radha Devi

“Girls should certainly study for a bright future,” Radha says. “Girls also
should be provided equal education as provided to the boys. Girls can
grow to higher level and break out of the vicious circle only after they take
education and get into a good job. Girls should get educated to educate
their own children too.”

“For any change to be accepted education should be accepted and


provided to the children. All girls should be enrolled for a bright future.
Girls are so vulnerable that they face a lot challenges including early
marriage and domestic work that stops them from coming to the school.
People have to be mobilized and awareness should be created on girls
education so that everyone comes forward to enroll their children.”

“Educate Girls has been really supportive to our village girls by re-enrolling the dropouts and building
leadership skills among the children in the school.”

“Even after the exit of Educate Girls,” she says, “I will work in our village to see that all girls are enrolled
and complete schooling.”

  59  
 
Ashok, School Principal as well as SDMC member

“Generally in our villages the literacy rate is very low,”


Ashok says. “Though the children are interested in
education, the school system fails to meet their interest.
There are lack of facilities including furniture, toilets,
drinking water facilities at the schools. There are no
computer labs or science labs that can help us to equip
the children to present requirements.”

“Educate Girls has helped us a lot in developing the


children’s knowledge. The program has made a lot of efforts to re-enroll the girl children and is quite
successful due to the intense follow up done by the staff members. Anything introduced new creates a
lot among the children and EG has been doing it frequently for the children. EG has gone to a lot of
effort to attain what it has desired to do.”

“The SDMC has now got more importance in the schools. The effective SDMC is keen to know about
the SSA budget and takes efforts to make efficient use of the same. We have done the kitchen repairs
after the efforts of the SDMC. In future we wish the SDMC will get the school more computers, furniture
and most importantly teachers. We are also trying to establish a higher secondary education at our
school.”

“Education is the most important thing to be provided to children at the right time and through the right
source,” he says, “so we will strive to give our full support to Educate Girls and the SDMC.”

  60  
 
ANNEXURE-9

Tentative Management Cost of UPS/PS

Total PS 174
Total UPS 326
Total 500

For Primary School (per year) Cost in INR

Salary (Rs. 8000*6 teachers*12 months) 575,000


Electricity and related expenses (Rs.500*12) 6,000
Sports and other cultural and outdoor expenses 6,000
Furniture, dari patti and answer sheets 12,000

Mid-day meals (80 student per year@ 2.08/day) 60,736


Examination (Rs. 100 per child), Stationary, pen, pencil (Rs. 50,per child)
12,000
(80*Rs.150)
Grand Total 671,736

For Upper Primary School Cost in INR

Salaries
1 headmaster (Rs. 12,000 * 12 months) 144,000

8 teachers (Rs. 8,000 * 12 months) 768,000


1 class IV employee (Rs. 6,000 * 12 months) 72,000
Electricity and other expenses (Rs.2000*12) 24,000
Sports and other cultural and outdoor expenses 9,600

Midday meals (150 student per year @ 2.60/day) 142,350


Other expenses (150 no. * Rs. 150) 22,500

Grand Total 1,182,450

Total Cost for 500 Schools

Primary Schools 116,882,064


Upper Primary Schools 385,478,700

Total Estimated Government Expenditure in 500 Project schools annually 502,360,764

Note: Source is REI website (http://www.rei.org.in/resources/estimated-project-costs)

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